TOKYO-The number of picture service users in Japan is growing rapidly. NTT DoCoMo, the leading mobile carrier in Japan, announced that the number of subscribers of its i-shot picture phone service exceeded 1 million as of 12 August. The i-shot service allows users of i-shot terminals to take and send pictures taken by tiny cameras built into the terminals.
NTT DoCoMo launched the i-shot service on 1 June. Currently, three terminals have been launched. As of 18 August, the number of subscribers hit 1.1 million.
Separately J-Phone, a business unit of Vodafone in Japan, announced the number of subscribers to sha-mail, J-Phone’s picture service, exceeded 6 million as of 9 August. The figure accounts for 46.9 percent of the total subscribers of J-Phone. Since November 2000, J-Phone has launched 17 different types of sha-mail handsets.
Vodafone, the parent company of J-Phone, plans to launch the sha-mail services in Europe later this year.
